Clamp-on container module

ABSTRACT

A clamp-on container module (12) which is adapted to be mounted in one end of an I.S.O. container (10) having upper and lower corner lift fittings (11), said module having clamps (13) which are engageable with at least the upper corner lift fittings of the container, in which each said clamp comprises: a mounting bracket (20) securable to said module (12); a shank (23) mounted in said bracket for relative axial movement between a clamping position and a release position; a clamping head (24) mounted on one end of said shank (23) and adapted to cooperate with a respective corner fitting (11), said head being angularly adjustable about the axis of the shank between an entry position in which the head can enter the respective corner fitting, and a captive position in which the head is prevented from withdrawal from the fitting; an actuator lever (25) operable to rotate the head (24) between the entry position and the captive position; and, a lever-operated ratchet mechanism (26) operable to move the shank (23) axially to the clamping position, after the head (24) has been rotated to the captive position, in order to clamp the head to the corner fitting, and thereby to clamp an adjacent part of the module to the container end.

This invention relates to a clamp-on container module which is adaptedfor mounting on one end of an I.S.O. container, such module beingintended to incorporate an auxiliary power source for operatingenergy-consuming facilities provided in the container.

The invention has been developed primarily, though not exclusively, inconnection with a container module which is capable of providing energyinput to operate a container refrigeration system while the container isin transit.

It has been known for many years to attach auxiliary generator modulesto I.S.O. shipping containers to provide a power source to power acontainer refrigeration system, and such modules have traditionally beenmounted on the front end wall of the container via over-centre typeclamps. I.S.O. containers are usually provided with corner fittings ateach of the eight corners of the container, and which have standardapertures through which standardised container lifter devices can beentered for the purposes of transferring the container from one place toanother e.g. from a vehicle trailer or railway truck to the deck of aship, or vice versa.

The over-centre clamps which have been used in the past are capable ofmaking clamping engagement with the corner fittings, and such clamps arerigidly secured to the module which is to be clamped to the container.

These known clamps have clamping heads which can be rotated between anentry position (in which the head can be received through a side entryaperture of the fitting), and a captive position in which the headengages with the fitting so as to resist withdrawal of the head from thefitting. After rotation to the captive position, a manually operatedlever is manipulated in order to clamp the head firmly to the fitting,and at the same time to clamp the module (to which a number of clampsare secured) to the container.

The lever which operates the clamp is an over-centre type lever whichhas the disadvantage of: (1) requiring considerable force to clamp thehead to the fitting, and at the same time to draw the module tightly upagainst the container end; (2) cannot readily be remotely operated (asthe levers form an integral part of the clamps), and therefore usuallyrequire an operator to position himself near to the corner fittingconcerned, which in the case of the top corner fittings (which arenormally about 2.5 meters above ground level) means the operator has toclimb a ladder to reach the fittings or else (as is often the case) theoperator climbs onto the usual fork lift arms of a fork lift used topresent the module to the container end; and (3) the range of clampingmovement is relatively small, and therefore very accurate placement ofthe module is required before clamping can take place.

Therefore, all of these factors contribute to an unsatisfactory mode ofclamping operation (and unclamping), as well as involving risk ofpersonal injury, which regrettably has resulted in many on-siteaccidents.

The present invention therefore seeks to provide an improved form ofmodule clamping system, which is easy to operate and which preferablylends itself to remote operation when required e.g. from ground level toimprove safety.

According to the invention there is provided a clamp-on container modulewhich is adapted to be mounted on one end of an I.S.O. container havingupper and lower corner lift fittings, said module having clamps whichare engageable with at least the upper corner lift fittings of thecontainer, and in which each said clamp comprises:

a mounting bracket securable to said module;

a shank mounted in said bracket for relative axial movement between aclamping position and a release position;

a clamping head mounted on one end of said shank and adapted tocooperate with a respective corner fitting, said head being angularlyadjustable about the axis of the shank between an entry position inwhich the head can enter the respective corner fitting, and a captiveposition in which the head is prevented from withdrawal from thefitting;

an actuator lever operable to rotate the head between the entry positionand the captive position; and,

a lever-operated ratchet mechanism operable to move the shank axially tothe clamping position, after the head has been rotated to the captiveposition, in order to clamp the head to the corner fitting, and therebyto clamp an adjacent part of the module to the container end.

The actuator lever can be easily operated in order to rotate the headbetween the entry position and the captive position, and the ratchetmechanism also can be easily operated in order to complete the clampingoperation and to draw the clamping head into tight clamping engagementwith the respective corner fitting, and thereby also clamp the moduletightly against the container end.

The clamp-on module may be attached to the container end via respectiveclamps engaging with the upper corner lift fittings only, but if afull-height clamp-on module is provided, then respective clamps may beprovided to clamp the module to the container end by engagement withboth the top and the bottom pairs of corner lift fittings.

Preferably, the ratchet mechanism is lever operated, having a leverprojecting generally radially of the shank, and this arrangement lendsitself easily to remove operation, in that an operator at ground levelmay readily operate the lever by use of an extension tube or the like tofit over the end of the lever.

Similarly, the actuator lever, which controls the angular adjustment ofthe clamping head about the axis of the shank, may be operated in thesame way if required.

The ratchet mechanism preferably includes a ratchet wheel coupled withthe shank, to rotate the latter when the wheel is rotated intermittentlyvia a lever-operated pawl.

The shank may have an extended threaded portion taken through thebracket and coupled with the ratchet mechanism, whereby uni-directionalrotation of the ratchet causes required axial movement of the shank.

The clamp preferably includes a holder with which the actuator lever isengageable, after rotation of the head to the captive position, so thatthe head is retained in the captive position during the axial clampingmovement of the shank.

The holder may have a slot extending parallel to the path of movement ofthe shank, so that the head remains in its angularly adjusted captiveposition as it is tightened to the clamping position.

The holder may be arranged within the confines of the bracket, or may bespaced therefrom along the axis of movement of the shank.

Desirably, the ratchet mechanism is operated to carry out the finalstages of a clamping operation, when a final and fine tighteningadjustment can easily be carried out in view of the high mechanicaladvantage of the arrangement, whereas initial and more rapid coarseadjustment of the head to the clamping position may be obtained byproviding a manually operated knob on an opposite end of the shank, andwhich can be rotated in order to carry out the initial axial movement ofthe shank until the head just comes into clamping engagement with itsrespective corner fitting.

Preferred embodiments of clamp-on container module according to theinvention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an I.S.O. container having a clamp-onmodule according to the invention clamped to one end thereof;

FIG. 2 is a plan view according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of a first embodiment of a seriesof clamps for coupling the module rigidly to the corner fittings of thecontainer, and illustrating the clamp in a release and unclampedposition;

FIG. 4 is a view, similar to FIG. 3, but showing the clamp in a positionwhich it takes-up when a clamping head has been rotated to a captiveposition within a respective corner fitting (not shown), and drawn intotightly clamped engagement therewith;

FIG. 5 is a detail illustration of the clamp of FIGS. 3 and 4 in atightly engaged and clamped position with respect to one of the standardcorner lift fittings of the I.S.O. container shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a side view, partly in section, of a second embodiment ofclamping device for coupling the clamp-on module to the I.S.O.container, and showing the clamping head in the engaged and clampingposition;

FIG. 7 shows the second embodiment of clamping device, but in anunclamped and release position; and,

FIG. 8 is an end view of the second embodiment of clamping device.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, this showsschematically a standard I.S.O. container designated generally byreference 10, and having a series of standard corner lift fittings 11 ateach corner of the container i.e. two upper pairs of lift fittings andtwo lower pairs of lift fittings at each end of the container.

A preferred embodiment of clamp-on module 12 is illustrated, which isclamped to one end of the container 10 via a series of clamping devices,and each of which is capable of making clamping engagement with arespective corner lift fitting 11, by entry of a clamping head of eachclamping device through a normal side entry aperture.

Module 12 is assumed to be an auxiliary refrigeration unit, whichincorporates a suitable power pack e.g. a diesel operated generator, andwhich is able to supply power to drive a refrigeration system providedwithin container 10. These types of refrigeration systems, and powerinput from clamp-on modules are well known per se, and need not bedescribed in detail herein.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show in schematic form only clamping devices designatedgenerally by reference 13, and which are capable of clamping themselvesrigidly to the respective corner fittings 11, and thereby also to drawthe module 12 into tight engagement with the end of the container at thesame time.

Reference will now be made to the first embodiment of clamping devicewhich is shown in more detail in FIGS. 3 to 5 of the drawings. Theclamping device comprises a mounting bracket 20 secured to a mountingplate 21 which can be tightly clamped to a suitable mounting point onmodule 12 e.g. by means of bolts or other fittings taken throughapertures 22 in mounting plate 21.

A shank 23 is mounted in the bracket 20 for relative axial movementbetween a release position, as shown in FIG. 3, and a clamping positionas shown in FIG. 4, or FIG. 5. A T or L shaped clamping head 24 ismounted on one end of the shank 23, and is adapted to cooperate with arespective corner fitting 11, as shown in the fully engaged and clampedposition of FIG. 5, which includes a section taken through a standardcorner fitting. The clamping head 24 is angularly adjustable about theaxis of the shank 23 between an entry position, as shown in FIG. 3, inwhich the head 24 can enter the respective corner fitting via a usualside entry aperture, and an engaging or captive position in which thehead is prevented from withdrawal from the fitting.

An actuator lever 25 is operable to rotate the head 24 between the entryposition and the captive position, and in the illustrated arrangementcomprises a short handle rigidly secured to, and projecting radiallyfrom shank 23. Lever 25 can easily be manipulated manually in order torotate the clamping head 24 between the entry position and the engagingposition. If remote operation is required, which may be desirable in thecase of clamping the upper clamping devices to the top corner fittings,an extension tube or other device may be attached to lever 25 so that anoperator, standing on the ground, can carry out this initial adjustmentof the clamping head.

The clamping device also includes a lever-operated ratchet mechanism,which preferably also can be remotely operated by an extension tube orthe like, and which is operable to move the shank 23 axially to theclamping position, after the head 24 has been rotated to the captiveposition, in order to clamp the head 24 tightly to the corner fitting11, and thereby at the same time to clamp the adjacent part of themodule 12 to the end of the container.

The ratchet mechanism is designated generally by reference 26 andcomprises a ratchet wheel 27, which is coupled with shank 23 in such away that, upon rotation of the wheel 27 by ratchet lever 28 and pawl 29,it drives the shank 23 in one direction only i.e. from right to left inFIG. 3, to move the clamping head 24 (after turning to the captiveposition) to a clamped position by increments, following repeatedoscillation of ratchet lever 28 which engages the outer periphery ofratchet wheel 27 via sliding pawl 29.

Shank 23 has an externally threaded portion 30 which passes throughlocking collar 31 located adjacent to an end plate 32 of bracket 20.Ratchet lever 28 is coupled with an operating handle 33, and evidentlyangular reciprocation of handle 33 will apply unidirectional incrementaladvance of ratchet wheel 27, and via its coupling with shank 23, willeffect axial displacement of shank 23 in the clamping direction. Ifremote operation of the ratchet mechanism is required, a tube or otherextension piece may be coupled with operating handle 33, to enable anoperator to complete the clamping operation from ground level.

The clamp 13 includes a holder 34 having an axially extending slot 35which extends parallel to the axial direction of movement of shank 23,and upon pivoting of lever 25 to the captive position of clamp head 24,handle 25 is now in line with slot 35, and axial movement of the shank23 moves the handle 25 into engagement with the slot 35 of holder 34,and which therefore retains the clamping head 24 in the captiveposition, whereby it cannot be withdrawn from the corner fitting 11.

The ratchet mechanism 26 is preferably used for the final and "fine"adjustment of the clamp to the fully clamped position, and the highmechanical advantage provided by the mechanism enables this to beachieved easily and without major effort.

Evidently, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the head 24 projects asubstantial distance from bracket 20 when in the release position, andpreferably the major part of the axial movement of the clamping head andshank to the clamping position is achieved by operation of a coarseadjustment mechanism, which comprises a manually operable knob 36mounted on an opposite end of shank 23. Operation of knob 36 enablesrapid take-up of clearance within the corner fitting 11 until theclamping head 24 just comes into engagement with an end of the fitting,as can be seen from FIG. 5. Thereafter, final clamping takes place byoperation of the ratchet mechanism 26, and this clamps the device 13firmly to the corner fitting 11, and at the same time clamps theadjacent part of the module to the container.

The device 13 also includes a face block 37, through which the shank 23extends, and located on a facing end of bracket 20, and which has anoval shape and a depth such that it can readily engage in a standardside entry aperture of an I.S.O. corner fitting, as can be seen in FIG.5, and without projecting into the interior of the fitting.

At the opposite end of the shank 23, a bearing plate 38 is provided,against which knob 36 can engage. In order to release the clamp, knob 36can be rotated in a release direction, thereby allowing shank 23 to bedisplaced axially to the right, preferably by manipulation of handlelever 25, and followed by pivoting of the handle lever 25 to move theclamping head 24 to the release position shown in FIG. 3, whereby thecoupling device can be withdrawn from the corner fitting 11.

Locking collar 31 can be manipulated to permit release of the clamp, andalso adjustment of the clamp to the clamping position, after which itcan return to the position shown in FIG. 4 or 5 to lock the assembly.

The design of the clamping device shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is such as topermit substantial axial travel of the shank 23, to permit theinstallation of the device in difficult conditions.

A clamp-on module, e.g. a power generator/refrigeration unit, cantherefore be readily attached to an I.S.O. container, even on roughterrain, and with a greatly improved clamping range, and further can beremotely operated e.g. from ground level with a simple extension handleor a piece of suitable diameter pipe.

The embodiment of FIGS. 3 to 5 has holder 34 provided within theconfines of the bracket 20, but an alternative arrangement may beprovided, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, in which a holder 34a is arrangedexternally of the bracket 20a, but axially spaced along the path ofmovement of the axially reciprocatable shank 23a. Parts correspondingwith those already described are given the same reference numerals, butwith the addition of the letter a.

I claim:
 1. A clamp-on container module which is adapted to be mounted on one end of an I.S.O. container having upper and lower corner lift fittings, said module having clamps which are engageable with at least the upper corner lift fittings of the container, in which each said clamp comprises:a mounting bracket securable to said module; a shank mounted in said bracket for relative axial movement between a clamping position and a release position; a clamping head mounted on one end of said shank and adapted to cooperate with a respective corner fitting, said head being angularly adjustable about the axis of the shank between an entry position in which the head can enter the respective corner fitting, and a captive position in which the head is prevented from withdrawal from the fitting; an actuator lever operable to rotate the head between the entry position and the captive position; a lever-operated ratchet mechanism operable to move the shank axially to the clamping position, after the head has been rotated to the captive position, in order to clamp the head to the corner fitting, and thereby to clamp an adjacent part of the module to the container end; and an operating knob coupled with the shank and operative to effect coarse adjustment of the axial movement of the shank to move the clamping head towards the clamping position, and in which final and fine adjustment to the fully clamped position can then be taken over by operation of said ratchet mechanism.
 2. A clamp-on container module according to claim 1, in which the ratchet mechanism is lever-operated, having a lever projecting generally radially of said shank.
 3. A. A clamp-on container module according to claim 1,in which said actuator lever is mounted on said shank, and projects outwardly therefrom, said actuator lever being operative to rotate the shank about its axis, in order to adjust the clamping head between the entry position and the captive position.
 4. A clamp-on container module according to claim 1, in which the ratchet mechanism includes a ratchet wheel coupled with said shank to move the latter axially, when the ratchet wheel is rotated intermittently via a lever-operated pawl.
 5. A clamp-on container module according to claim 4 in which the shank has an externally threaded portion coupled with said ratchet mechanism.
 6. A clamp-on container module according to claim 1, including a holder engageable with said actuator lever, after rotation of the clamping head to the captive position upon actuation of the lever, so that the head is retained in the captive position.
 7. A clamp-on container module according to claim 6, in which said holder has a slot extending parallel to the path of movement of the shank so that the head remains in its angularly adjusted captive position as the shank moves axially in order to move the clamping head to the clamping position.
 8. A clamp-on container module according to claim 6, in which the holder is arranged within the confines of the mounting bracket or is spaced therefrom along the axis of movement of the shank. 